NewsWrap
for the week ending October 1, 2005
(As broadcast on This Way Out program #914, distributed 10-3-05)
[Written this week by Lucia Chappelle, with thanks to Cindy Friedman, Graham
Underhill, Rex Wockner, and Greg Gordon]
Reported this week by Sheri Lunn and Rick Watts
This week Uganda became the first country in the world to constitutionally
ban same-gender marriage. With little fanfare, President Yoweri Museveni
signed the amendment defining marriage as "lawful only if entered into between a
man and a woman," and making it specifically "unlawful for same-sex couples to
marry." No penalties were set for those who violate the new law -- that's
expected to come next year with a revision of the penal code. Opposition to the
constitutional amendment was limited, because Museveni's government is one of
the most repressive anti-gay regimes on the African continent. Lawmakers
critical of the president, who assumed power in a coup d'etat, focused most of
their attention on another part of his so-called reform package: the repeal of
presidential term limits that would enable Museveni to continue in office.
Since a political confrontation with the government two years ago forced hundreds
of gay and lesbian activists to flee to South Africa to seek asylum, there are
few left in Uganda to protest.
California would have been the first U.S. state to legalize same-gender
marriage without a court order, but Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
vetoed the bill passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature. Unlike most
conservatives who oppose marriage equality being imposed by the judiciary,
Schwarzenegger took the position that the matter should be decided by the courts. In
his letter to the legislature the governor said, "This bill simply adds
confusion to a constitutional issue. If the ban of same-sex marriage is
unconstitutional, this bill is not necessary. If the ban is constitutional, this bill is
ineffective." Schwarzenegger also cited the passage of a ballot measure in
2000 that "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in
California." However there is still debate about whether that initiative applies
only to gay and lesbian marriages performed outside the state, and a lawsuit
challenging it is pending. Schwarzenegger went on to praise California's
domestic partnerships, asserted his support for full protections under the law for
lesbian and gay couples, and vowed to defend the rights they currently have
from any rollback.
Connecticut's new civil unions law went into effect October 1st, but the
fight for full marriage equality there is not over yet. Eight same-gender
couples are still pursuing a suit arguing that if the state is willing to grant the
same legal rights and responsibilities as marriage under the civil unions
law, there is no reason to maintain the separate categories. However Love Makes
A Family, the organization that spearheaded the effort to pass the civil
unions law, believes their accomplishment is a significant step on the road to full
marriage equality. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal confirmed this
week that Connecticut will recognize other states' civil unions and domestic
partnerships, but not same-gender marriages from neighboring Massachusetts.
Marriage was also the main theme of this year's Pride March in
Johannesburg, South Africa. Several thousand people took part in the parade, which began
in front of the Constitutional Court Buildings where a lawsuit challenging the
heterosexual-only marriage laws is currently under consideration.
Participants took on the common cultural criticisms about homosexuality with placards
carrying sayings like "Same sex marriage is African" and "I am a very
traditional woman, that's why I support same-sex marriage." One such "traditional
woman" on a float sponsored by the Forum for the Empowerment of Women -- or F.E.W.
-- met with a very traditional hate crime along the route: the unnamed
18-year-old was slashed in the neck by a bottle apparently dropped from an apartment
building. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. March
organizers and hospital officials kept her identity secret for fear she would be
attacked again -- possibly even killed while still in the hospital. F.E.W.
spokesperson Zanele Muholi said, "These young women come from the townships... and
think they will be safe in the city." Although the country was the first in
the world to enshrine equal rights regardless of sexual orientation in its
Constitution, Muholi added, "What has happened is an indication that we still
have a long way to go in South Africa." The Constitutional Court's ruling on
marriage rights is expected in a few months.
The popular Jamaican reggae star whose song "Boom Boom Bye Bye" threatens
gay men with a "gunshot in ah head" has been arrested as part of a group of men
who brutally attacked six gays last year. Buju Banton pleaded not guilty and
plans to fight the charges. Since it is difficult for Jamaican activists to
speak out for themselves, their cause has been championed by the U.K.-based
OutRage!, which has coordinated boycotts of homophobic musicians around the
world. OutRage!'s Brett Lock argues that it is imperative for Banton to receive
the toughest possible sentence if found guilty. "This trial is a test case on
whether gay people can get justice in Jamaica," Lock said, adding, "Some
Jamaicans fear that Mr. Banton’s celebrity and the strongly homophobic attitudes
that exist in Jamaica will deny justice to the victims of what was a horrific
homophobic assault."
The Supreme Court of the United States officially has a new Chief Justice,
as President George W. Bush's conservative nominee for that post, Judge John
Roberts, was confirmed by a Senate vote of 78 to 22 and quickly sworn in.
Roberts' nomination had been opposed by gay, lesbian, bi, and trans groups, as
well as civil rights and reproductive choice advocates. Eleanor D. Acheson of
the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force called the confirmation "beyond
disappointing -- it is outrageous." Other activists focused on organizing around the
next Supreme Court nomination. Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese
said, "With a Chief Justice who's been given a stamp of approval by the
extreme right-wing, it's critical that the next Justice preserve a fair and balanced
court." The Bush Administration is expected to present a nominee to replace
moderate Sandra Day O'Connor very soon.
And finally, a University of New England student in the Australian state of
New South Wales doesn't know just what his duties will be, but as the
nation's first diversity officer for heterosexuals Dave Allen will command a budget
of $1,000. This does not please campus activists, since the money comes out of
student fees just like the diversity offices for minority students are
funded. Craig Comrie, a spokesperson for gay issues at the National Union of
Students, called the idea "crazy." Comrie said, "The reason why queer departments
are set up is because those students are disadvantaged on campus. I think it's
just a really unfair reaction to the fact that student unions support queer
activism and women's activism on campuses." Allen told The Australian
newspaper he did not give "a rat's arse" about homosexuals as long as they were not
being given special treatment. "It doesn't matter whether you're straight, gay,
black, white or brindle, but when it starts getting 'Oh, we need a space for
us to hang out', it's crap; just come down to the pub and have a few beers
with us," he said.